[mnkv]

> The solvents we need in this case are the healthier methods of fulfilling these longings.

Terrible take. Algorithmic feeds and ad-tech has continually optimized how to get and maintain our attention. It is ridiculous to think "going into nature" or any individual solution is the answer. We blame pharmaceutical companies for making addictive drugs, why don't we blame tech companies for making addictive apps?

[haswell]

As someone who has started replacing online habits with outside habits with some pretty life changing results, I can’t agree with you.

This isn’t to say that social media companies should be excused, and I suspect only regulation will force them to change.

But it’s also up to individuals to take an active role in stopping and finding healthier outlets. For me, that had meant deleting apps, mostly getting off of Reddit, and intentionally building new habits that are not oriented around social media. Getting out in nature is more important than I think most realize.

One need only look at the continued existence of smokers/smoking to highlight that short of an outright ban (which would cause other issues), the person is really at the center of quitting. Even if these companies started getting all of the appropriate blame today, that’s not going to change that people have possibly difficult changes to make. There is no magic or shortcut that undoes the habit patterns without the individual choosing to make changes and following through on implementing them.

[lumb63]

> There is no magic or shortcut that undoes the habit patterns without the individual choosing to make changes and following through on implementing them.

How dare you! This is victim-land, where nothing can be the fault of the individual! /s

Seriously, though, this is the truth that nobody wants to hear, because it’s inconvenient. Want to stop facing the negative impacts of technology? Stop using it. Want to lose weight? Eat less. Want to gain muscle? Go to the gym. Want to quit smoking? Stop smoking. Study after study comes out showing that dietary restriction “doesn’t cause long-term weight loss”. Want to know why? Because people stop doing it!

The solution to almost all problems that can be solved by forming or unforming a habit is, in my experience, two-fold. First, identify the thing you want to start or stop doing. Second, start or stop doing it.

Anyone can cry for months about how hard it is to stop being distracted by their phone because of addictive ad tech, notifications, tailored AI algorithms, etc. I’m not saying all these aren’t issues and we shouldn’t fight these battles because they make it harder for people to enact their will, but I am saying people need to have some will, and use it! You can’t give up on stopping (or never try to stop) a bad habit and shrug your shoulders and say “I can’t do it because <insert reason habit is hard to stop>”. I mean, you can, but you’ll never stop your bad habit that way.

Even if there is something that defeats your willpower, that you can’t beat, that’s getting in your way, identify it and find a way around it. Can’t eat less because you get tempted by snacks? Don’t have snacks on hand. Can’t stop looking at your phone because notifications spam you? Silence your notifications. Want to quit social media? Delete the apps. The most powerful form of willpower is the willpower that you saved for later because you architected your life to not need it.

[pmg101]

I agree with many elements of your argument here.

I would personally add though that there are multiple "you"s. I like to imagine the elephant, and the rider. The elephant (habitual, non-conscious behaviour) is powerful, strong and hard to redirect.

BUT in the end the rider IS in control. It's worth looking for strategies to help the rider, to give them a better chance, and to strengthen their ability to do so over time.

[YurgenJurgensen]

Who would win, the willpower of one person who's got a dozen other responsibilities, or a team of a hundred experts whose full-time jobs are to break said willpower? ...when latter only have to win once and the former has to win every single time. The power imbalance here is so severe that it's like saying 'just don't get shot' as an answer to gun violence.

[sanitycheck]

Dealing with stuff as an individual is fine, but it does not scale.

Individually, you can lose weight and go to the gym and quit smoking and go vegan and refuse those opiates and reduce your CO2 footprint and stop doomscrolling.

Good for you. Seriously!

But what impact does that have on the big societal and enviromental problems? None.

Some things need to be addressed at a higher level.

[arvinsim]

Not everyone has the privilege of being near a nature park or the equivalent.